A forest a day! July 17: WE038A, Wedge Forest

This coupe is located in the Wedge forests, south-western Tasmania. It is situated on exceedingly steep terrain, and will therefore be subject to a clear felling cable logging operation. This coupe was already partially logged in 2007 and then subject to high intensity burns in 2008. Forestry Tasmania have now listed the coupe on their current harvest schedule, with a plan to return this year to log an addition 12 hectares (FT 2012).

The coupe is within 500 meters of the current Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. And this area has been recommended for inclusion into the World Heritage Area (Hitchcock 2012: 112). This forest contains old growth Eucalyptus delegatensis and Eucalyptus obliqua with a rainforest understorey, along with substantial stands of leatherwood. The tall eucalypt value of this forest is one of the key world heritage values. In addition, the area has significant scenic value. It is an integral part of the landscape of the adjoining TWWHA (Hitchcock 2012: 112).

The waterways in this coupe are known to contain rare hydrobiid snail species Phrantela pupiformis (Davis and Monks 2009).This species inhabits streams and can also be found in moss, on small waterfalls and and in fern roots. It is listed as rare in the Tasmanian Threatened Species Act. According to the IUCN Red List “this species may be threatened to a degree by habitat degradation and land clearance from forestry and sedimentation” (IUCN 2012). It has a very small distribution and the recommendation of the IUCN is that further research should be done on the population and potential threats: “In order to maintain the stability of this species’ habitat and water quality, it is advised that not only should the species’ locality be protected, but also the waters upstream” (IUCN 2012).

Please CLICK HERE to take a moment to help protect the threatened forests of the Wedge and other high conservation value forests in Tasmania.

For more information about the ‘A forest a day’ project, which is a collaboration between Huon Valley Environment Centre, Still Wild Still Threatened, The Last Stand, Markets for Change and Code Green, please click HERE.